By Lauren Lifke, nm.news — City Councilor Klarissa Peña held onto her seat in the runoff in District 3 on Dec. 9 after a close race with candidate Teresa Garcia, winning by just 68 votes after all votes were counted. The runoff election was held because no single candidate got more than 50% of the […]
Category: Politics & Elections
Posted inPolitics & Elections
The day after: White expresses no regrets, knows what’s to blame
What initially looked like a thrilling election night in Albuquerque ended with a whimper less than an hour after polls closed when mayoral candidate Darren White took the podium at his watch party and broke the news to the large crowd of supporters that he had just called Mayor Tim Keller to congratulate him on […]
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Telles triumphs: Democrat secures firmer city council majority
By Sara Atencio-Gonzales Democrat Stephanie Telles won the District 1 City Council runoff, giving Democrats a firmer majority on the nine-member council as she prepares to represent Albuquerque’s central Westside. Her victory preserves a Democratic voting bloc and concludes a competitive two-candidate runoff that followed a four-way race in November. Early and absentee voting showed […]
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Albuquerque voters face fewer polling places Tuesday—here’s what to know
With over 88,000 ballots already cast and voter interest picking up, Albuquerque voters will see fewer places to cast a ballot Tuesday. City council and mayoral runoff elections will have 50 polling locations, down from 74 in November, and election officials say they expect long lines. Democrats are turning out at higher rates, accounting for […]
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Outside groups dump over $100K into runoff elections, and still have lots more to spend
Political Action Committees (PACs) spent more than $132,000 during the three-week runoff election sprint to influence Albuquerque’s three runoff races as early voting kicked off this week, with the mayor’s race drawing most of the outside money just days before voters decide the Dec. 9 contests. The mayoral race drew more than $101,000 in PAC […]
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Who is turning out to vote in the runoff? We checked the numbers
With just four days of early voting left before Election Day 2.0, about 32,000 Albuquerque voters have cast ballots in the city’s Dec. 9 runoff election, with Democrats turning out at significantly higher rates than Republicans. Of the 31,926 ballots cast by late afternoon Tuesday, 18,132 came from early voting sites and 13,794 were absentee […]
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Uballez urges votes for Keller, sort of
When Alex Uballez lost his bid for mayor in Nov., he quickly endorsed candidates in two of the city’s three runoff elections, both for Westside council seats, scheduled a month later — but not for mayor. That changed, sort of, this past weekend when Uballez penned a lukewarm endorsement of his former rival in the […]
Posted inAlbuquerque
Who is giving the homeless “I ♥ Tim Keller” hoodies?
Albuquerque social media accounts have been filling up with photos of homeless persons in the International District sporting bright yellow hoodies printed with “I ♥ Tim Keller” in large letters across the front, but no one is taking responsibility for the stunt. Photos were first shared with City Desk on Wednesday of persons wearing the […]
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Outside groups spent over $1 million to influence ABQ’s elections in 2025
In the months before a federal judge struck down part of the city’s election transparency laws last week, outside groups had already spent more than one million dollars to influence Albuquerque elections in 2025. A City Desk analysis of city campaign finance data shows that Albuquerque’s 2025 local elections were among the most expensive in […]
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Who’s funding Albuquerque’s runoff campaigns? Voters may never know
A federal judge this week struck down Albuquerque’s donor disclosure rules for advocacy groups that spend money in city elections, opening the door for thousands or even millions of dollars in anonymous cash to flood the Dec. 9 runoff with early voting starting in 10 days. U.S. District Judge James Browning ruled Wednesday that Albuquerque’s […]